Humility: The Foundation of Prayer

Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Philippians 2:5-11

Brothers and sisters:
Have among yourselves the same attitude 
that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and, found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32

R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;    
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
“May your hearts be ever merry!”
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. 
For dominion is the LORD’s,
 and he rules the nations.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
To him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R.  I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
 

 

 

Alleluia Matthew 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Humility: The Foundation of Prayer

November 3, 2026 // Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, Religious

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Reflect on the Word // 

I was filled to the brim with unquenchable anguish as I spent months pouring out my heart for an intention that weighed heavily on my heart. That intention wasn’t being resolved in the way I desired. My self-reliance and control shifted my intercession into a place where I tried to “be” God. I was convinced that the outcome was all up to me. As time went on, and even now, I still have to face my littleness, which is discouraging at times. Yet, it has allowed my heart to open up to a deeper reality of Who He is. 

In today’s First Reading, I was captivated by Saint Paul’s encouragement to “have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Then describing Jesus’ humility in the Father, Paul writes, “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6). Jesus was not using His identity to control; instead He was humble and obeyed the Father’s will. 

Jesus knows Who He is and Who the Father is. Our faith journeys require humility with one another, and humility with God, as the Catechism states, “Humility is the foundation of prayer” (CCC 2559). I’ve wrestled with this virtue, often mistaking it for self-loathing. But I’m learning that humility is turning my heart outwards towards God. It’s remembering Who God is and who I am. The Lord delights in littleness because it invites the heart to be completely dependent on Him, Who provides more than imagined. Our Lord’s greatness is not based on control; He acts only out of pure and sacrificial love: “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death” (Philippians 2:8).

Humility allows us to acknowledge our areas of weakness, which is necessary for our spiritual growth, but this virtue is more than looking inward. Humility roots us in our identity and reveals our never-ending need for the Lord. It opens up our hearts to allow Him to do only what He can do. Let us remember who we are, and Who He is. 

Relate to the Lord // Meditate on the virtue of humility and pray to have an increase in the knowledge of who God is and who you are.

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